Alfred Adler

The oldest of human striving is to be at one with our fellow human beings

Thomas Merton

A life is either all spiritual or not spiritual at all. No man can serve two masters. Your life is shaped by the end you live for. You are made in the image of what you desire.

Talmud

There are stars who's light only reaches the earth long after they have fallen apart. There are people who's remembrance gives light in this world, long after they have passed away. This light shines in our darkest nights on the road we must follow.

God's Fool

While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart.

Death Penalty

Mother Teresa

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

Gifts

God created all things...elastic waistbandsare my favorite!

Cluster Map

This Journey

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience. Pierre Teilhard De Chardin

Counter

Mohandas Gandhi

The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.

St. Francis of Assisi

Love is...

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres...

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13

Thomas Merton

The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.

Jalal ad-Din Rumi

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

Albert Einstein

There are only twoways to Live your Life.One is as thoughnothing is a Miracle.The other is as ifEverything is a Miracle.

Love IS the Rule

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.' "This is the great and foremost commandment. "

And a second is like it, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:37-40)

“We are not called upon to do all the good possible but only that which we can do”

Mother Theodore Guerin

"You don't have to be extraordinary, just forgiving." Mattafix

Loving Commitment

We can disagree on the death penalty, we can disagree on homosexuality, we can disagree on the status of women and still bind our hearts together in a common, united, generous, friendly, loving commitment

Jimmy Carter

"If you are a theologian, you pray truly; and if you pray truly, you are a theologian"

“Those who have a 'why' to live, can bear with almost any "how.'”

Viktor Frankl

We Have Been Called...

We have been called to heal the wounds,

to unite what part has fallen apart,

and to bring home those who have lost their way.

St. Fancis of Assisi

Dalai Lama

Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.

Charter for Compassion

Interdependency

We know that every moment is a moment of grace, every hour an offering; not to share them would mean to betray them. Our lives no longer belong to us alone; they belong to all those who need us desperately."

Elie Wiesel

Family

A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another.

If the minds love one another

The home will be as a beautiful as a flower garden.

But if these minds get out of harmony with each other

It is like a storm which plays havoc

With the garden.

The Buddha

Thursday, June 9, 2011

ICAP 2011: A Cornucopia of Workshops

The team from Emmaus Ministries came to the conference to learn, we also came to present. Sill Davis’ presentation was “What Drives Men to Sell Their Souls: Why Do They Prostitute Themselves?” Sill is the director of our ministry center. He has extensive experience working with people living with HIV and with working with people who are struggling with their identity. I like Sill a lot. However, Sill spoke two days before us, I never want that to happen again! Everyone told me how dynamic Sill was and they asked if we were going to be as much fun, as interesting. Who needs the pressure, next time I want to go first.

Doug and I gave a presentation titled “Homeless Youth: the Face of Vulnerability and Prostitution.” I provided facts and figures from the World Health Organization and various NGOs. I provided some typologies and plans of action. Doug provided three profiles that made the dry facts come to life. We received very positive feedback from our audience.

There were far more workshops than we could possibly attend. The nice part was that there were no bad choices. I attended a workshop on the challenges of working in Central Asia. It was given by Ann Marie Isenberg the team leader for the Central Asian Team. She was able to show how cultural norms and gender roles have to be taken into consideration when ministry to women involved in prostitution in this part of the world. I loved her strong Scottish brogue. She also had three women from different Central Asian nations participate in the workshop.

There was a workshop on Contemplative Prayer presented by Thelma Nambu and Peggy Giacoletto. I did not attend because my time was limited and because I was familiar with the topic. Still, as someone whose mantra is “self-care” I was so happy to see it on the schedule.

Svend-Gunnar Lidden our Swedish “African drummer” gave a presentation on “Demand.” It was a talk on the Swedish initiative to criminalize the purchaser of sex. I am told it was very good. Alicia attended Francesca Nuzzolese’s presentation “Joyful Care: Spiritual Resources for Caring Practices.” Alicia loved the talk and I cannot wait to get information about it from Alicia.

I did attend Bill Prevette’s talk, “Leading from Within: What does the inner spiritual journey mean for activities caregivers.” Again, as someone who cares about self-care for the care-givers, this was a useful workshop. Many of us from Emmaus Ministries attended “Men Are Part of the Solution”. The presentation was given by Chris Lenty and his colleagues from the MST Project. I had never considered ministering to the men who purchase sex. I found their talk to be challenging. I really respect them and I am a little jealous that they live in Thailand! It was a great presentation.

Time prevented me from attending “No Will of My Own”: How Patriarchy Smothers Female Dignity & Personhood” by Jon Zens. That seemed like such a relevant conversation to have. A friend of mine attended Mariliana Morales’ workshop on Prophetic Dance. He loved it, I would have felt pretty uncomfortable in the class but by the end of the conference it was clear many, many people found it to be a useful tool to have in their ministry tool box.

I am an Adlerian. We Adlerians lok at function by how it is addressed in the Life Tasks: Work Friendship, Love and Intimacy. Thagt being said, I wish I had time for the presentation on “Sacred Sex” by Tim Alan Gardner and the talk on “Safe and Dignified Work” by Jane Tafel.

I did get to attend “Telling Your Story” presented by Steve Lawson and Lisa Thompson. It was on how to most effectively get your message out. This might be in the form of book, video media, blogging or speaking. Steve is the senior editor at Regal Books. Lisa is the Liaison for the Abolition of Sexual Trafficking for the Salvation Army National Headquarters. I went to the talk thinking it would be useful but not interesting, wrong. Steve was very practical and Lisa was one of the most inspiring speakers I heard at the conference.

I went to hear Toos Heemskerk from the Netherlands’ speak on “Reintegration and After Care for Those Coming Out of Prostitution.” I learned so much at that talk. I learned about “Lover Boys” and branding or tattooing your “property.” I learned about decriminalization and the role of Eastern European poverty in the sex trade. I also witnessed the power of using limited self disclosure to illustrate how working in the this field and effect your personal life. I admire Toos so much.

Finally, I attended Glenn Miles’ presentation “What about Boys/?. The presentation was a powerful combination of facts, recommendations and practical applications. I found this workshop to be the most useful and compelling workshop I had attended. I felt privileged to spend time with this Welshmen who lives in Cambodia and has become a world expert on human trafficking. He has worked in India, as well as Cambodia. He studied in England and he is an author. He also testified before the United States State Department.

There were more presenters and workshops. I never heard anyone complaining that they had made a bad choice or wasted their time. This was not just a global conference, it was a world class conference.